What we are up to


 ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!

Matthew 25: 37-40


It’s been a long time since I have posted an update on what is going on.  As I have said before, I’m a bad blogger and I get busy with other things and this gets off my radar screen.  But the short answer to what is going on is this:  not much and a lot.  What is that supposed to mean?


Well, on the one hand, it feels like not much is going on.  Kim and I are living and working and establishing work/life/family patterns here in Welland.  I am enjoying serving at the Vineland United Mennonite Church as an interim Pastor and driving school bus when I’m not doing that.  Kim is enjoying her work as an EA at a French Catholic school here in town. Life feels normal. In terms, however, of creating a new/different expression of a faith community - which is the hope for Mosaic Niagara - it doesn’t look like much of anything.  On the surface anyway.


On the other hand - under the surface - lots is happening.  We are meeting and getting to know lots of amazing people and finding our place in this community.  We are volunteering with an organization called Beyond the Streets which serves folks here who are homeless, precariously housed or just struggling to get by.  Beyond the Streets serves a weekly hot meal, offers non-perishable food (as well as some fresh fruit and vegetables when they are available), hygiene items, clothes and other items like sleeping bags and blankets.  They have also been a driving force behind the creation of an emergency homeless shelter here Welland which I have been volunteering at. Their love and care for the community is inspiring!


We have established a weekly rhythm of hanging out on Thursday nights at the pub at the end of our street.  There we are meeting and getting to know many of the regulars there.  As we make friends with this group of great people, we see Jesus in them as we hear bits of their stories.  It is no secret to them that Kim and I are followers of Jesus and have been in pastoral ministry for many years and sometimes leads to some interesting conversations.  We really enjoy hanging out with these folks.


We also meet weekly with a different group of new friends at our local coffee shop on Saturday mornings.  Again, an amazing collection of community minded people that we really enjoy hanging out with and having conversation with.  There is great wisdom in these folks as well as a deep caring and concern for the city.  It is often a slightly different group every week and the conversations (within a strict “no politics, no religion” policy) range all over the place from serious topics to just fun and interesting topics.  We love hanging out with these people!


I have also connected with a local community service organization - the Kinsmen Club of Fonthill & District.  As I participate with this great group of guys, I am struck by how much they truly care about serving the community’s greatest needs and how they are willing to work and give so much to make a difference in the community.  They come from a whole mixture of faith backgrounds - some connect with church and others don’t - but their genuine caring for people and community is incredible to see and a privilege to share with them.


In all of these ways, we are meeting people and seeing Jesus in the way that Matthew 25: 37-40 describes.  It can often be easier for us to go through life seeing the problems, flaws and imperfections in people.  Those are often the most obvious things that we see in people.  But when we do that, we miss out on the joy and privilege of loving them as if we were loving Jesus.  But when we choose to look deeper, we are able to see others like Jesus - beautiful, worthy of love and valued.


So we are seeing Jesus in those who we are serving as we get to know them. As we look beyond the obvious needs and build friendships with them, we see God reflected in them.   We are also seeing God in those who volunteer and serve and work hard in the community.  We see God reflected in them as they give selflessly and love the people that we serve and each other. As we serve them and with them, our hope is that they are also seeing and experiencing God’s love through us.

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